1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to safety means for securing displays such as television sets and similar displays to their support. More specifically, the present invention relates to a security buckle engaged into ventilation slits for secure harnessing of such devices by a safety belt.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Currently, most television sets and other display sets such as computer screens are constructed such that the frontal glass screen consists about 70% of the television weight, resulting in a gravity center very close to the front, about 10 cm behind the screen. The uneven weight distribution makes such display sets highly susceptible to losing equilibrium and turning over or sliding forwardly, upon small shifts or forces. When a television set is positioned on a support, such a chest, a cabinet or a shelf, its center of gravity is located above the supportive surface. However, since the center of gravity is very close to the front, a small shift in the forward direction, might cause the center of gravity to move outside the supportive surface, leading to the set falling. Similarly, a small forward inclination of the television set might cause the set to turn over and fall. Thus, in general, due to their inherent unstability, television sets and similar display devices are associated with a safety hazard. This is particularly important when television sets are placed at relatively exposed positions where they can be easily bumped into and most importantly when they are located within reach of children which might, unintentionally or out of curiosity, push or pull the television. In particular relevant to the present invention are television sets, or other displays and monitors, which are mounted on wall or ceiling mounting assemblies. Such mounting assemblies usually comprise a wall (or ceiling) bracket, an arm attached to said bracket and a support tray attached to said arm on which the television or display is positioned. Usually the mounting assemblies further comprise various pivoting means for allowing the viewer to adjust the positioning of the screen to his convenience. In such mounting assemblies, it is particularly important to provide safety means for stabilizing the display and securing it to its tray for preventing possible falling upon adjustment of the arm or unintentional bumping into the assembly. Indeed, most mounting assemblies are provided with some securing means for avoiding undesired displacements of the set relative to the supporting tray. These means include safety belts, embracing frames and permanent means such as threading metal screws at the television bottom. Indeed, mounted assemblies for television sets and the like, are often provided with openings at the tray sides for attaching support frame or for insertion of a safety strap. These securing means, however, suffer from a number of drawbacks. Permanent securing by screws and bolts require changes in the television set (or display) itself makes installation and future dismantling cumbersome. Furthermore, it may present a danger of electrical shock. Embracing frames are cumbersome, unaesthetic, hard to install and quite expensive, often more expensive than the arm itself. Safety belts, on the other hand, which are the simplest and least expensive securing means, therefore the most wide spread solution, usually fail to truly fulfil their function due to the structure of television sets. Most television sets (and other displaying devices) are built such that there is a relatively small portion of flat area around the screen while the greater part of the cabinet profile is slopped toward the rear (see for example FIG. 4). This structure makes it difficult to obtain a firm grip of the cabinet by a safety strap. A safety strap wrapped around the cabinet main body tends to slide backward, losing hold of the set and making it useless. On the other hand, wrapping the strap around the frontal flat portion of a television set is not of much use either. In order to cancel the moment formed by gravitation, an opposite moment of sufficient magnitude must be exerted on the set. When the strap is placed in the frontal part, the distance between the line of force formed by the strap and the axis of rotation (i.e., extreme point of the television basis or leg) is not sufficient to cancel the gravity moment around this axis. In other words, in order to cancel the moment which is formed by the action of gravity when the television is inclined forwardly, the strap must be placed as far as possible from the front. But as explained above, wrapping a strap around the rear portion of a television set is impractical because of its slope.
Accordingly, it is the object of the present invention to provide security means for enabling a firm grip of a television set and the like by a harnessing strap wrapped around the main body of the device.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such means which is low-cost, aesthetic, simple to install, and does not require any changes to be made neither in the television set nor in said safety strap.
In accordance with the present invention, there is thus provided a security buckle for providing a firm grip of a displaying device, such as a television set, by a safety harnessing strap which is wrapped around the main body of the device. The security buckle of the present invention is inserted into a ventilation slit of the displaying device, thus preventing the strap from sliding backward and losing hold of the device. The security buckle comprises an elongated member having a bottom flat surface and an upper opposite surface; a tooth protruding from the bottom flat surface at one end of the elongated member, and a stopping means for securing the strap onto the upper surface of the elongated member and for preventing the strap from sliding. The tooth is inserted into a ventilation slit of the displaying device and the strap is placed transverse of to the elongated member.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the stopping means for securing the strap onto the upper surface of the elongated member is an arm protruding in an opposite direction to the tooth which forms a right or acute angle with the elongated member. Preferably the buckle comprises two arms protruding from both ends of the elongated member in an opposite direction to the tooth, wherein the arms are bent toward each other, forming an opening between the upper surface of the elongated member and between the arms, for accommodating the strap. The arms can form a closed loop. The buckle is fabricated from nonconductive plastic, preferably from acetal or polyamid polymers.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention the buckles are fabricated as a pair of buckles connected by a thin cord wherein the pair and the cord are fabricated as one piece.